Even though she thinks she should be use to it by now, Canton resident Amanda Zayas still gets nervous right before she takes the stage during a pageant.

Jeff Mucciarone

Even though she thinks she should be use to it by now, Canton resident Amanda Zayas still gets nervous right before she takes the stage during a pageant.

“It must be that extra boost of adrenaline,” said the 20-year old Emerson College student.

But once on stage, the nerves slip away and Zayas faces the judges proudly.

In March, the Canton High School graduate won the Miss Massachusetts America’s National Teenager Scholarship Organization Pageant, and now she’s preparing for the national pageant in Nashville, Tennessee in July. If she wins in Nashville, she takes home a $5,000 scholarship.

The money would be nice, but it’s really more about how pageants have helped her develop as a person.

“It helped me be more self-confident and it helped me be a better speaker,” Zayas said. “That was definitely a big, big confidence booster.”

Zayas first began looking into pageants in 2006 and decided to enter the Miss Massachusetts USA pageant.

“It was pretty exciting,” she said. “It’s fun, a good little hobby.”

Prior to her win in March, she entered a prep-pageant, and took home first prize. Her victory spurred her on to the state competition, where she bested 10 other ladies in the 19-25-age bracket or the “Miss” division.

This is the first year America’s National Teenager has a “Miss” division, meaning Zayas could be the first to claim the title, she said.

But the competition is likely to be stiff, as Zayas will join representatives from each of the 50 states.

In the state pageant, ladies were judged on their interview, community service, personal expression, evening gown and on stage question.

Leading up to the question, Zayas and her fellow contestants were a little intimidated by the person asking questions, as he was hitting on some difficult topics. When her turn came, which was last, he threw her a bit of a screwball, by asking her to choose the Red Sox or the Patriots, she said.

“I’m thinking, how can I answer that,” she laughed. “I couldn’t pick.”

But she ended up going with the Red Sox because they “bring the entire community of Boston together.”

Though Zayas and her boyfriend of five years, Sean Rockwell, still differ on the answer to that question, it ended up being the perfect question for Zayas, who, Rockwell said, spends more time watching sports than other television shows.

Rockwell, an assistant wrestling coach at Canton High School, has appreciated watching his girlfriend take the stage.

“You can see her grow,” Rockwell said. “She treats everyone equal. She’s there for everyone.”

America’s National Teenager drew Zayas in with its focus on academics and community involvement, rather than simply looks. In fact, the organization doesn’t actually consider the competition just a beauty pageant. Sixty percent of the competition had nothing to do with looks or how ladies composed themselves on stage, but instead centered on community service accolades or individual interviews, Zayas said.

“It’s a little different from the rest,” Zayas said. “I think it would be a really great opportunity for a lot of girls.”

All the contestants in Nashville will spend part of their time helping out at the local Boys and Girls Club.

Through the pageant process, Zayas has leaned on the support from Rockwell and her family. Zayas has a twin sister Sabrina, who attends Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and an older brother, Jay. Her parents, Elba and Angel are originally from Puerto Rico and have lived in Canton for Zayas’s entire life.

Zayas, who is expecting to graduate a semester early in December, is studying marketing and communications with a focus on advertising and public relations. She currently works part-time for the Goodwin Group, which is a public relations firm based in Sharon.

Amid all the pageant obligations and her school and work commitments, Zayas also found time to help develop em magazine at Emerson. She is the co-editor of the beauty and fashion section. She’s also organizing a fashion show at Emerson this weekend, using only student models and student designers.

Zayas works part-time on campus as a desk attendant, which not only helped financially, but also allowed her to get some homework done while on the job. She’s preparing for a national marketing competition in Atlanta this summer and is active in the Student Government Association.

“It’s a big part of my life,” Zayas said of Emerson. “You have to be involved. It’s not the kind of place where you can just sit in the corner.”

In her first pageant in 2006, Zayas was the newcomer and her more-experienced cohorts were ready to lend a helping hand. Zayas remains close friends with many of her fellow competitors.

“All the girls are amazing,” Zayas said. “They know a lot and they share a lot.”

Despite the success, Zayas said the national pageant would likely be her last, though she did leave the door slightly ajar, since she said after her first pageant she probably wouldn’t do it again.

Jeff Mucciarone can be reached at jmucciar@cnc.com.

Zayas is currently trying to raise the required $4,500 to participate in the national pageant. If you are interested in donating or in sponsoring Zayas, contact her at (781) 718 8477 or at Amanda_Zayas@emerson.edu.

Canton Journal

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